OXFORD, Mississippi -- The Mississippi Highway Patrol is launching a safe driving program Friday in which troopers will stop and warn motorists who, as a result of eating, texting or not paying attention to the road, drive in an unsafe manner.

"We are looking for the distracted driver," said Lt. Johnny Poulos, director of public affairs for the highway patrol. "That's anything that would cause a driver to lose focus off the roadway and cause them to drive in a careless manner."

Trooper Ray Hall, another Patrol spokesman, said troopers on the road in unmarked cars will be watching for drivers who are preoccupied. Officers in the unmarked cars will report distracted drivers to a marked car farther up the road.

"If you're doing something inside the vehicle that causes you todrive in a careless or reckless manner, then we would initiate the stop," Poulos said.

"Our main reason behind this initiative is to obviously help stop the trend of folks who continue to text and drive, play on the Internet with their cellphone, watch a movie, or look for directions on a GPS while they are driving," Hall said.

Patrol spokesman Trooper Joey Miller said distracted driving is one of the leading contributors to accidents. The U.S. Department of Transportation said more than 3,000 people were killed in distracted driving-related crashes in 2011.

The Highway Patrol's "Pay Attention or Pay a Fine" initiative will kick off Friday in the Oxford area along Mississippi Highway 6. The program will eventually expand statewide.

The initiative will use Mississippi's careless driving law to charge anyone they find who isn't paying attention to the road.

"If you're eating a hamburger while driving and run someone off the road, you're distracted," said Hall. "It's a push to try to decrease those who are deliberately distracting themselves."

Mississippi's careless driving law carries a fine of between $5 and $50 and applies to anyone deemed to be driving in a careless of imprudent manner without regard for the width, grade, curves, corner, traffic and use of the streets.

The careless driving law also will be applied to people distracting themselves with their cellphones.

"We want to serve as a deterrent," Hall said. "This will be something like our speed details that we'll do from time to time."